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Chapter 53. The Only Way To Move Forward Is To Face Reality (1)
Translator: Atlas / Editor: Swords4Fun
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“Oh, Instructor Carly brought a cadet to the instructor’s mess…”
“Gosh. You two look good together.”
“The cadet has fallen into the clutches of the demon…”
As each one placed enough food on his tray, he heard a few words from unfamiliar instructors. He could have responded with a joke, but he didn’t.
It might seem arrogant for a C-class cadet to talk back to an instructor, so Han chose to just smile awkwardly. Carly, on the other hand, opened her mouth.
“I don’t look horrible enough for you to call me a demon.” She responded to an instructor’s joke with another joke.
She looked very natural acting this way.
Carly’s true personality was not so cold or stern. Rather, she was quite popular due to her playful personality with people in similar positions.
In fact, she was a woman who spread her charm everywhere. There were even instructors who liked her without Carly’s own knowledge of it. He sat across from Carly at a table by the window. He swallowed back some saliva because he felt like he was under the gaze of several instructors, but he couldn’t ignore the delicious spread that steamed directly under his nose.
A fresh piece of garlic bread, a large piece of steak and a delicious piece of cheese. He couldn’t eat too much, but he helped himself to a lot of food. It really looked better than any food he had ever seen on earth. Even the smell was extraordinary.
“Both cadets and instructors have a naughty side. Don’t be nervous. Enjoy your food.”
“I’m fine. I wasn’t nervous.”
“Really? It seemed to me that you were very nervous.” She smiled when he answered, as if she knew he wasn’t comfortable.
He avoided her gaze unconsciously. He wondered how she could act like they were close. Anyone in his position would be tempted by such a beautiful woman. This was a strange atmosphere.
“You even avoid my gaze. Isn’t that evidence of your nervousness?” Carly asked as she lifted her fork, preparing to dig in. There, a cue for him to dig in as well. He couldn’t lie anymore, but neither could he tell Carly that his heart was racing because of her. Posted only on NovelUtopia
“Ok. Let’s just say I’m nervous.”
“Well, it’s normal. It even happens to the most daring cadets.” She appeared to cheerfully accept everything he told her.
He didn’t have to worry about his answers, unlike what he expected.
He would eat in the company of a woman he liked. The woman he had read about in the novel, and who he personally held in high regard. His heart was excited. He felt that she was being considerate of him.
As he began to cut his steak, he inadvertently glanced sideways at Carly. She took a similar amount of food as he did. Not too much, not too little.
“Han Seong,” she began, “I want you to listen to what I have to say and what I will ask you while you eat.”
He nodded quietly. “Okay.”
“Is this about yesterday’s sparring? Honestly, I have a lot of questions for you, Cadet Han Seong. I can’t blindly accept everything I hear.”
He made brief eye contact as he raised a piece of steak to his mouth.Carly’s eyes were filled with curiosity.
He began to think of answers to possible questions she might ask him.
“There are certain details I want to verify about the sparring. You were on the offensive against Cadet Leonhard Laurent the whole time. That’s possible… because you use a spear, correct?”
He didn’t answer right away because he was enjoying the piece of steak in his mouth. After a moment, he finally swallowed the tasty piece of steak. Carly pointed out the essence of yesterday’s fight in a single question.
As one would expect of her. She did not even sound like she despised the nature of his weapon, compared to most of the great figures of this world.
“Yes, that’s true,” he confirmed.
“I thought so… but you are also quite amazing. I can’t believe you dared to have a fight against an A-class cadet with a Legendary Attribute.”
She praised him with a smile. He avoided her gaze due to embarrassment.
“I just… couldn’t seem to help myself.” He inadvertently said exactly what he was thinking. Glesia was the one who practically forced the fight.
But in the future she wouldn’t escape a fight either if something similar happened.
It didn’t matter if he lost in the future. He had to stumble if he wanted to become stronger, have his attribute evolve and go further. He was convinced that he should not avoid strong enemies, because in a crisis situation he could be stuck staring directly at the wall.
Compared to before the fight, he had no resentment towards Glesia. He was even grateful that she had created this great opportunity. That had led him here, to having lunch with Carly.